Mythical Masks

The Story of Mythical Masks--See-ers of Possibilities, Creating Connection

This semester-long mask project evolved from collaborations with a number of artists and arts organizations. It started through brainstorming with Tigre Mashaal-Lively about involving students in his Solacii world through a classroom project. We decided on masks as the best approach, and Tigre introduced students to his mask art as well as the Solacii. Students designed their own mask characters, made with plaster gauze, then painted and decorated them. Next, Billiam Rogers from Meow Wolf visited to talk about character development, and students wrote about what their characters needed. It was striking how many of the characters needed to find their lost families, homes, and friends. Many stories referenced the need to be “seen.” Thus we decided to draw pairs of eyes to go with the masks. The final installation in the school Commons combined all these aspects of the masks, and created connections between them. In the midst of the project, Axle Contemporary art truck came to campus with an installation by Mashaal-Lively. This was a special treat, especially in these days when field trips are impossible due to the pandemic. The truck itself was interesting for the students as well.